6 Keys to Help Your Messaging Catch On

If you are like many marketers, product managers, or entrepreneurs, customer adoption is on the top of your mind. Getting people to be aware of your product or message is usually the first and most important step. Harnessing customers own ability to share can help your product catch on like wildfire. But how do we do this? The STEPPS model, created by Jonah Berger, outlines six strategies that will increase the likelihood of your message spreading.

Give People Social Currency

The first principle we need to understand is that people share things that make them look good. Think about the last time you shared a piece of content on Facebook. How about the last time you shared a new app you discovered? Most likely, it was because you found it interesting or remarkable. But, lets be honest, deep down there was a part of you that also hoped other people would find you interesting by association. We are driven to acquire social currency.

Harness Prevalent Triggers

Not only do remarkable things get shared more often, but, counter intuitively, everyday things get shared even more.  For example, what do you think gets shared by word of mouth more often: Disney World or Honey Nut Cheerios?  Certainly, the fact that Disney World is much more remarkable and interesting may lead you to believe it will be shared more. However, Cheerios is actually shared much more. Why? Because people who like Cheerios are triggered to think about it much more often… every time they eat breakfast perhaps. Content or products that we are reminded of frequently are much more likely to be shared frequently. In order to share products and content, we need to embed them into peoples lives in a way that taps into everyday routines or activities.

Generate Emotional Response

Beyond remarkability or a frequency of thought, content that elicits strong emotion is more likely to be shared.  This emotion could be either positive or negative. For example a news piece about the transgressions of a pharmaceutical company may cause people to feel anger and outrage, and therefore, want to share it. However, the awe and excitement caused by a story about a scientific breakthrough may also make people want to share it. The key aspect of emotion that leads to sharability is  arousal level. Content that makes us feel depressed or even simply content are not as likely to make us want to share as those that trigger high arousal emotions.

Make it Public

People derive most of the value of products privately. When we fire up a new app on our smartphone, typically no one sees it but us. Similarly when we find a cause that we’re passionate about we often do research and donate to it on our own. When things are engaged with on an individual basis like this, they miss a powerful opportunity to be shared. Now, think about the Susan G. Komen foundation’s Pink Breast Cancer Awareness campaign. Most likely you can recall seeing a pink ribbon or another pink article of clothing representing the campaign. The brilliance here lies in making public something that is rarely talked about and, which therefore, increases its likelihood of catching on even quicker. Such a strategy harnesses people innate tendency to imitate each other.

Deliver Practical Value

Not only do people share information that makes them look good, they also share information that they believe is useful to others. This is the altruistic side of the social currency principle.  It explains why restaurant reviews and recipes are shared more on the NYTimes than articles about sports which describe what happened in a game. Reviews and recipes are actionable, they’re useful for informing people’s actions in the world. If we want our content to be shared, we need to help people understand the practical help it provides for improving their lives and potentially the lives those they know.

Embed Your Message in Stories

For most audiences, a message about our product delivered in a personal and meaningful story creates much more impact and is more memorable than simply claiming something about a product or even displaying data supporting it. Do you remember the last time a friend told you a story where a product or service was recommended or even featured peripherally? Has a co-worker ever told you about a wonderful vacation where they happened to stay in an AirBnB (or any other hotel brand)? Have you ever heard a friend rave about a particular customer service experience they had? These anecdotes stick with us and often spread beyond their originator. As long as our product was an integral part of these stories our message spread too.

Spreading your message is critical to the success of products or idea. You can harness the human tendencies outlined above in the STEPPS to spark new ideas for to marketing your product. If you’re still curious about learning more, reach out to me contacting me or read Jonah Berger’s Contagious (available on his website).